INSTRUCTOR AND INSTITUTION
INFORMATION
ANITA JHALANI
(949)-412-3134
anita_jhalani@yahoo.com
TOP
ANJANI
AMBEGAOKAR
SUNDAR KALA KENDRA
Anjani Ambegaokar is a senior guru,
choreographer, and renowned artist of Kathak dance who was awarded the
National Endowment for The Arts National Heritage Fellowship for lifetime
achievement in her field. Anjani teaches Kathak at UC Irvine as a visiting
lecturer and was the lead choreographer for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival's
2008 production of The Clay Cart. Anjani's dance school, Sundar
Kala Kendra, has trained several hundred students over nearly 25 years
and her professional touring company, Anjani Dance Theatre, has performed
all over the USA, Canada, Europe and India, featuring the exceptionally
trained dancers of Sundar Kala Kendra.
(909) 595-8934
anjania@aol.com
www.sundarkalakendra.org
TOP
ANJANI GUPTA
Anjani Gupta is a practicing artist and digital graphic designer. With
a degree in Fine Arts & Graphic Design, she has been teaching art for
the last six years in Irvine. In addition, she has been creating custom
art pieces, working with different media such as acrylics, oil and watercolors.
She also uses traditional Indian techniques such as glass painting, nib
painting, metal embossing and carving. Art is her passion which she enjoys
sharing with the community. To fulfill this dream, her company VisnArt
was formed: to convert vision into art.
(949) 735-2672
Gupta_anjie@yahoo.com
TOP
 CHARENJEET
SINGH
Charenjeet Singh learned from Pandit
Jagdish Mohan Ji, of Kirana Gharana, in Gandarva Mahavidyalaya, New Delhi
. CJ's range includes singing the melodious songs of Mohd Rafi to the soulful
ghazals of Jagjit Singh to the Sufi Qawaallis of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
to the blasting bhangra of Daler Mehndi. Some of his recent highlights:
collaborating on the music for several films, including Outsourced,
The Other End of the Line, and Holyman, as well as NBC's television
series Mismatch with Alicia Silverstone. He has performed with Nusrat
Fateh Ali Khan, Ghulam Ali Sahib, Sonu Nigham, Daler Mehndi, A.R. Rehman,
Sukhbir, Ustad Tari Khan Sahib, Pt. Ravi Shankar Ji, Salil Chaudhary Ji,
and many prominent singers from India and Pakistan.
213-448-3636
cjvirdi@yahoo.com
TOP
DEEPALI VORA
NITYA SHETRA SCHOOL OF DANCE
Guru
Deepali Vora is the founder and director of Nitya Shetra Dance School of
Southern California, one of the leading schools of Bharatanatyam. She arrived
from Chennai, India and opened her school doors in 1997. Deepali has received
rigorous training in the Thanjavur style of Bharatanatyam from Guru Madurai
Muralidharan of the Nrityakshetra Dance School in Chennai, India. She started
off as an assistant teacher to Guru Muralidaran before she moved here and
started her own school. Deepali has won much acclaim for her performances
in India and the United States. She has over 250 dance credits to her name.
Her complex footwork mingled with her grace, expression, imagination, and
creativity gives her the unique style that makes her one of the leading
gurus in Southern California.
310-525-0301
Nityashetra@yahoo.com
TOP
IQBAL SINGH GREWAL
Coordinator, Punjabi Community Center
(714) 282-8607
(714) 915-1366
grewal998@aol.com
TOP
JAYARAM RAO
Kannada Kali
(949) 439-6277
gnirand@hotmail.com
TOP
JYOTI
PRAKASH MISTRY
Born in 1970, Jyoti Prakash started
learning tabla at a very early age from his father Sri Nagendranath. He
later studied with Pt. Abhijit Banerjee, one of the top ranking tabla players
in India, who is a veteran student of the illustrious guru Pt. Gyan Prakash
Ghosh. In addition to tabla, Jyoti Prakash has also learnt other Indian
percussion instruments under the guidance of Sri Brojen Biswas, a well-known
percussionist in India. He is a regular performing artist on All India
Radio and Doordarshan (television). He currently teaches at Dhwani Academy
Of Percussion, in San Diego, Irvine and Los Angeles, a prestigious institution
founded by Pt. Abhijit Banerjee.
(714) 396-4083
jyotidhwani@yahoo.com
www.abhijitbanerjee.com
TOP
KSHEMI
YOGA CENTER OF CA
Enjoy classical yoga taught in an
easy, natural way - great for beginners. Kshemi, a teacher at Yoga Center
of California, focuses the asanas (exercises) on the body/mind connection
and she also offers meditation instruction, energization and breathing
practices. Yoga Center of California has been a leading center in Orange
County for classical yoga since 1970. Students who sign up for Kshemi's
class at Ektaa may also attend Yoga Center classes. Kshemi studied yoga
with Yoga Master Ramakrishna Ananda at Yoga Center of California for 21
years and has been a teacher at the center for 13 years.
(949) 646-8281
Kshmx-yoga@yahoo.com
www.yogacenter.org
TOP
LAKSHMI
KRISHNAMOORTHY
Born in South India, Lakshmi Krishnamoorthy's
training in music, particularly bhajans, helped her to connect with Indian
philosophy and scriptures. She developed a keen interest in Vedanta and
scriptures such as the Bhagavad Gita in her early years. She shared
her training in music by teaching bhajans and coordinated the Sarada Bhajan
Mandali in Chennai for over a decade. When she moved to the USA she felt
the need to impart basic values and Indian cultural heritage to the next
generation. That was the beginning of the Bala Vihar classes she has been
conducting for over 20 years. The classes familiarize children with stories
from epics such as the Ramayana and Mahabharatha and emphasize
important values.
(949) 552-9043
ksk8191@yahoo.com
TOP
NAKUL DEV MAHAJAN
NDM DANCE STUDIOS
Nakul
Dev Mahajan, “Hollywood's Favorite Bollywood Choreographer,” is the Founder
and Artistic Director of the premiere Bollywood dance company in the United
States, NDM Bollywood Dance Productions & Studios in Los Angeles. With
over 15 years of professional experience, Nakul has become a Bollywood
ambassador, bringing the Art of Bollywood dancing to diverse audiences
throughout the US and beyond. Nakul's
unique dance style and choreography fuses a diverse repertoire including
Indian classical styles, such as Kathak, Bharata Natyum, Bhangra, and Folk;
and, western staples including Ballroom, Latin, Hip-hop, Modern, and Jazz.
Nakul's work and vision to open the
first Bollywood dance studio in the nation has created national press and
entertainment attention, including features on ABC Nightline, Time Magazine,
and The Los Angeles Times.
He has worked with a plethora of
celebrities such as Natalie Portman, David Schwimmer, Chris Kattan,
Steve Carrel, and Kal Penn, to name a few. His major Hollywood
choreography credits include Passions, The Office, Character Fantasy,
MTV, E! Entertainment, and Good Morning America. Nakul's choreography
on So You Think You Can Dance and Superstars of Dance has garnered
international interest and secured his role as Hollywood's Favorite
Bollywood Choreographer.
Nakul has been graced with various
awards and accolades, including being chosen as Mr. India California and
over fifty prestigious dance awards in the South Asian community in the
United States. Nakul also contributes his talents for various South Asian
charities throughout the year for children in poverty and women in abusive
conditions.
(562) 402-7761
ndmdancestudios@yahoo.com
www.ndmdance.com
TOP
PREETI SINGH
(949) 856-4589
G4210@aol.com
www.sahajayoga.org
TOP
RAMYA
HARISHANKAR
ARPANA SCHOOL OF DANCE
Ramya Harishankar combines the elegance,
grace and suppleness of the Vazhavoor School of Bharata Natyam with
the distinctive ability to express all shades of emotion with sensitivity
and intuition. She has imbibed these qualities under legendary gurus: the
late Swamimalai K. Rajaratnam and Padma Bhushan Kalanidhi
Narayanan.
In 1982, Harishankar established
Arpana, which has grown to become a premier school of Bharata Natyam
in California. In 2007, the 25th anniversary of the Arpana School of Dance
was recognized with several citations and awards from the State Senate,
County of Los Angeles and cities and organizations in Southern California,
as well as the Helene Modjeska Cultural Legacy Award from
Arts OC, the countywide arts organization in Orange County. The
Arpana Dance Company (ADC), made up of the graduates of the school,
has performed under her guidance in the US, Europe and India.
Harishankar has also received several
grants from the California Arts Council, the Alliance for California
Traditional Arts, the Fund for Folk Culture and the National
Endowments for the Arts (NEA). As an artist on the Arts Teach
and Arts Connect roster of the Orange County Performing Arts
Center, she has been sharing her art with schoolchildren all over Southern
California. Her solo career spanning more than three decades has taken
her all over the world, performing extensively in India, S. E. Asia, the
Far East, Europe, the Middle East, Australia, Canada and the US.
(949) 874-3662
ramya@danceramya.com
www.danceramya.com
TOP
RASHMI
FITTER
Rashmi Fitter has been teaching yoga
for over 25 years. She has trained in many leading yoga institutes in India.
She frequently travels back to India for further studies to refine her
practice and work towards self-realization. Her yoga classes offer personal
attention in traditional forms. She takes careful consideration in training
her students in difficult postures with the use of props to avoid injuries.
Handouts are provided to continue practice at home. Students learn correct
postures, proper breathing, meditation, relaxation, cleansing methods and
therapy. The benefits of yoga include improved posture, increased flexibility
and stamina, general good health, reduced stress, and a feeling of satisfaction
and confidence
(949) 551-4545
www.yogawithrashmi.com
TOP
REETU PATEL
Move Bollywood Prodcutions Pioneering
in Bollywood Musical Theatre. A powerful scene, a finely tuned emotion,
or nothing at all precedes a Bollywood song, and that is the charisma of
Bollywood dance. Item songs, love songs, folk songs, A Bollywood song is
incomplete without the melodrama in a Bollywood Movie. Reetu Patel is here
to offer Bollywood Musical Theatre, where we will dance, sing, laugh, and
cry. Move Bollywood musical theatre will help each student live his &
her Bollywood dream.Reetu is from Mumbai, India. Reetu has been dancing
for 23 years, and acted on Indian television with some of the renowned
production companies, Balaji Telefims, Shobhna Desai & Vipul Amritlal
Shah productions, Rajesh Seth productions, Raj Kumar Santoshi Films, Satish
Kaushik productions, Bharat Bala productions and many more. With Move Bollywood
Musical Theatre, Reetu is here to offer her talent in acting and dancing.
909-289-1203
ash7ree@yahoo.com
www.movebollywood.com
TOP |